A backhoe operator unloads a culvert from a dump truck as the construction of the culvert bridge that connects the South Road Properties to the Inayawan Landfill continues.
(CDN PHOTO/JUNJIE MENDOZA)
Cebu City Hall will push through with the ongoing construction of a bridge of culverts connecting the South Road Properties (SRP) to the Inayawan landfill despite pleas from nearby fishermen.
Mayor Tomas Osmeña said there are far bigger benefits in finishing the project since it would mean shorter trips for garbage trucks dumping at the landfill.
“We are going to give them some livelihood projects. But definitely, we are going to build the bridge,” he told reporters yesterday.
He said that once the bridge is finished, trucks can cut their trips to the landfill by as much as six to eight kilometers. He added that there is an alternative channel that the fishermen can pass through when going out to sea.
Last Thursday, close to 100 fisherfolk held a protest at the construction site against the project, saying it blocks their way out to sea.
They said they have no problem with constructing the bridge as long as there’s a gap under it where they can pass through since the other access near the Ludo facility is far and not passable during high tide.
“We are now in the process of working with some fisherfolk together with an NGO (non-government organization). We are going to pay these people to pick up the garbage in the shorelines so they don’t have to fish. We can hire some of them,” Osmeña said.
Osmeña also criticized Councilor Pastor Alcover Jr. for joining the fisherfolk during the protest, saying the latter is an “obstructionist” and was just “grandstanding.”
Alcover earlier questioned the project because it doesn’t have an environmental compliance certificate since it’s passing through a channel.
But the mayor said it doesn’t need one since there’s another access.
“We lack trucks. We have to improve garbage collection. If we use trucks more efficiently, we can handle garbage better,” he said.
Among the city’s plans is to lease out five private dump trucks that will collect garbage 24 hours a day. The truck owners will provide the drivers and handle maintenance while the city provides the garbage loaders and the fuel.
He said this will be lucrative for the private owners since they have more operational time for their trucks. The city can also save money since it doesn’t have to spend for the maintenance and pilferage of spare parts.
Meanwhile, the mayor also bared plans for an incentive program for people who personally hand over their garbage to city hall trucks.
He said the program will be piloted in a yet-to-be-identified sitio in Barangay Lahug. Those who do so will be given cans of sardines as incentive. Osmeña said they are just waiting for the cans of sardines to arrive before starting the program.
Once it’s found successful, he said the city can replicate this in other sitios in the barangay, then later on in other barangays until it can be done all over the city.